Questions tagged [thunderbolt]

Thunderbolt is a bus interface (like USB) developed by Intel and Apple that is capable of high transfer speeds and daisy-chaining. It is based off of the PCI Express and MiniDisplayPort technologies.

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Speed comparison between USB 2.0, USB 3.0, eSATA, Firewire and Thunderbolt

Which external connection has the highest data throughput with respect to the headers used? I would appreciate a slowest to fastest list including USB 2.0, USB 3.0, FireWire 400, FireWire 800, eSATA and Thunderbolt considering bandwidth that is…
Moshe
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Is there a difference between "Thunderbolt" and "Mini DisplayPort" cables?

TB-to-TB cables seems to be more expensive than mDP-to-mDP cables. Is there any actual difference besides the branding? This is for use in connecting a MacBook Pro to a dock with multiple ports (USB 3.0, FireWire, Ethernet, Audio, etc.)
Dan
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how do I connect an Apple Thunderbolt display to a PC?

I have this Apple Thunderbolt display. it works fine with my Macbook Pro. I also want to connect it to my Windows laptop via HDMI. I bought this converter, which converts the HDMI signal to DisplayPort. Everything plugs in just fine, but the display…
wes
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Can I connect a DisplayPort monitor to the Thunderbolt port on a Mac, and vice-versa?

Does anyone know if a monitor equipped with a DisplayPort (e.g. the Dell U2311h LCD screen) can be connected to the Thunderbolt port on a Mac? I want to connect two of these LCDs (one via Thunderbolt, the other via HDMI) to my Mac Mini 2011 and am…
qqtime
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Do Thunderbolt-capable USB-C ports support all DisplayPort alternate modes as well?

The new Thunderbolt 3 connectivity standard uses USB Type-C plugs and cables. As per Intel's presentation (if I interpret slides 13-15 correctly), all Thunderbolt ports also support the DisplayPort alternate mode, so that at every Thunderbolt 3…
lxgr
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System doesn't detect hot-plugged display port(through thunderbolt connector)

My external display(connected to my laptop through thunderbolt) works fine if connected before boot-up. However, once it's unplugged or disconnected by any means, xrandr won't detect the reconnected monitor anymore. I am running Arch Linux, using…
Chong
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Why does USB 3.1 only use two of the four available data lines?

Looking at the specifications for USB-C, I notice that there are four SuperSpeed differential pairs for data transfer, as seen in https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USB-C#Specifications. The Wikipedia article also says that only two of these pairs are…
brendon-ai
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For what is the Thunderbolt AIC connector used?

What does "AIC" mean? What does the connector do? Is it like a USB pin header where you can connect for example your USB ports for your case? Or do you need something else? Also there are expansion cards, but I don't know if you need the AIC…
testing
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How to connect two Dual-link-DVI displays to a Thunderbolt MacBook Pro

I want to connect two 2560x1440 displays to a summer 2012 MacBook Pro Retina (MBP from now on). The best way to do it would be to buy two Apple thunderbolt displays, which would connect Display2 ← Thunderbolt ← Display1 ← Thunderbolt ←…
user13727
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What can a program find out about a USB-C cable attached to the computer?

I plug an unknown USB-C cable into my computer. Theoretically, could a program read information about that cable? In particular: What version of USB it supports: 2.0, 3.1, etc. Whether it supports Thunderbolt, etc. Whether it supports Power…
Nicolas Raoul
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How can I tell whether my USB C cable is a USB 3.1 cable, a passive Thunderbolt 3 cable, or an active Thunderbolt 3 cable?

I have two Thunderbolt 3 devices that each came with their own Thunderbolt 3 cable, plus another USB-C cable that I'm not sure what its capabilities are. Is there any way I can determine whether the Thunderbolt 3 cables are either passive 20 Gbps…
Bri Bri
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Thunderbolt™ Software installed itself on my laptop

I have a Lenovo T570 laptop running Windows 10 which yesterday appeared to unexpectedly install a new program. The program appears in my start menu and has also added itself to my system services which commence at Startup. It is called "Thunderbolt…
I-J
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Does G-Sync work through a docking station?

Assuming Thunderbolt 3 to the docking station and either Thunderbolt 3 or DisplayPort (1.2 or higher) to the display, does G-Sync pass through a docking station, or does the intermediary hardware prevent G-Sync from working?
dawsonc623
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What is the maximum resolution that a Thunderbolt monitor can display?

The new MacBook Pro has a resolution of 2880 by 1800 pixels. I don't know how the GPU is connected to the monitor, but a more important question for me is: if there were standalone Retina displays, what was the maximum resolution it could…
Jader Dias
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Is it possible to connect an external Monitor to an Apple Thunderbolt Display?

Well the title says it all but still. Is there a way to connect an external monitor using a DVI->MiniDP converter to the Thunderbolt Port on the Apple Thunderbolt Display?
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